2D hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets supported with palladium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticle-based electrochemical sensor for the detection of indole-3-acetic acid

Indole- 3-acetic acid (IAA) plays major role in stress responses and plant defense against pathogens. When a plant is under stress, such as when it is exposed to high temperature or drought conditions, the levels of IAA increases, which triggers a range of responses that helps the plant to cope with the stress. In this study, we developed electrochemical sensor based on nanocomposite of palladium-doped zinc oxide and 2D hexagonal boron nitride (Pd-ZnO/h-BN) for effective electrochemical detection of IAA. The structural and morphological structure of the Pd-ZnO/h-BN nanocomposite was investigated using a variety of characterization techniques, FT-IR, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), and chronoamperometry techniques were used for quantitative analysis of IAA. The sensing capability of the Pd-ZnO/h-BN modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for IAA detection was evaluated utilizing cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. Because of its multiple active sites, rapid charge transfer, and abundance of defects, the Pd-ZnO/h-BN/GCE exhibits a synergetic catalytic impact on IAA oxidation. The suggested electrochemical sensor has a low detection limit (LOD) for IAA is 0.13 mu M using DPV and 0.21 mu M using CV, good linear ranges (0.5 to 50 mu M), and high sensitivity (0.2407 mu A cm-2 mu M-1). This fabricated sensor shows excellent real time analysis towards IAA in the seedling extract of Vigna radiata and Triticum aestivum.